Pure Devotion (Advent Poem 2014)

Pure Devotion

(In Metered Rhyme and Free Verse)

by Virginia Knowles, Advent 2014

I.

My Messiah's pure devotion

Set his mission into motion

He preached his message clear and sure

And lived his gospel bold and pure

So innocent, he scorned sin's fall

His sacrifice redeemed us all.

Then raised to life beyond the grave

His power pure enough to save

To wash us clean and fill the soul

With Spirit's strength to make us whole

Let us then with forward motion

Live our lives with pure devotion.

II.

He came and lived with pure devotion

A set purpose: to seek and serve 

   and save the lost

To give his own perfect life 

   as a ransom for sinners

His death was planned 

   long before his earthy birth

Though he wandered the countryside

There was no aimlessness about him

He knew who he was

He knew where he came from

He knew where he was going

Something about that infuses a soul 

   with sacred confidence

There was nothing that could 

hold him back from that destiny

Herod tried, sending soldiers 

   to destroy the infant Christ

The devil tried, tempting him 

   with bread and power in the wilderness

The Pharisees tried, asking questions to trap him

Then that failing, crucifying him

Yet nothing could stop that divine destiny

That mission of mercy and justice

His death instead set the captives free

And raised them up like a shining chalice

Filled with new wine, 

   with the Spirit of Living Fire

Do you see what he did for you?

Kindle it in your heart

Let it blaze hot and high

In holy consecration and

Follow him with pure devotion

~*~*~

Why the two versions of this poem? I am usually a free verse poet, but I woke up with the first two rhyme & rhythm lines of the first version and decided to continue it. (For those who like the mechanics of poetry, it is written in pairs of rhyming lines called couplets. The first and last couplets are trochaic tetrameter, and the middle four in iambic tetrameter.) After I wrote it in standard poetry structure, I couldn't help but reinterpret it in more substantial free verse, which is more my natural poetic voice. 

Here is the second reason: It never hurts to read it over a second time, does it? This is not frivolous subject matter. If it speaks more to one person the first way, and another person the second way, and to both all the more because they see it both ways – why not? 

The point is, the most important thing in the world is what God has done for us, and how we respond to that. I hope that comes through with full clarity in “Pure Devotion.”

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

P.S. #1: I write an Advent poem every year. You can read all of them in here: Advent Poems by Virginia Knowles. You can also find most of my other Christmas links here: Christmas. 

Here are my Christmas links from this year:

• Christmas Lights and a Family Night
• Little Touches of Christmas at Home
• Christmastime at Leu Gardens
• From Autumn to Advent
• For To Us a Child is Born, The Prince of Peace 
• Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Here are some of my other favorites:

• What You Can Do to Make the Holiday Season a Little Merrier for Others
• Handling Family Issues and Visiting During the Holidays
• A Note Wedged into the Window on My Van (And a Fresh Advent Poem)
• The Story Did Not Start with a Stable and a Star
• Corpus Christi
• A Bittersweet Advent
• Family Advent Night Ideas
• Advent Adventure Unit Study for December
• My Favorite Christmas Books
• Great Gifts Kids Can Make for Others

P.S. #2: The photo at the top of this post is of crosses at Lake Baldwin Church, the back one draped in red for the Advent season. Here is the same photo with the Advent candles in front.